Standard Lemma guide

also-ran

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person or animal who competed in a race, or other competition, but did not win.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A loser; a person or thing soon to be forgotten.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a contestant who loses the contest

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: loser

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: contestant

Narrower terms: old maid

History

Etymology

From the world of horse race betting, where lists of winners would be published with non-paying positions printed in a block under the heading “Also Ran”.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 陪跑 (péipǎo) — a person or animal who competed in a race but did not win
  • German: ferner liefen — a person or animal who competed in a race but did not win
  • Hungarian: futottak még — a person or animal who competed in a race but did not win
  • Spanish: uno del montón — a person or animal who competed in a race but did not win